


Feelings are Complicated

by Chips_and_Ice_Cream



Category: Game Grumps, Ninja Sex Party - Fandom, Real Person Fiction, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Cats, First Dates, Gift Fic, I don't know why Mochi and Mimi got a lot of mentions but here we are, Multi, Overthinking, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:54:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24463858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chips_and_Ice_Cream/pseuds/Chips_and_Ice_Cream
Summary: Dan's worried that since he and Brian have started to date Suzy, Arin might not be as okay with it as he'd told them. And that terrifies Dan.
Relationships: Dan Avidan/Brian Wecht, Dan Avidan/Suzy Berhow, Dan Avidan/Suzy Berhow/Brian Wecht, Maybe surprises at the end?, Suzy Berhow/Arin Hanson, Suzy Berhow/Brian Wecht
Comments: 9
Kudos: 16





	Feelings are Complicated

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HerbertBest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HerbertBest/gifts).



> A very belated birthday fic!
> 
> Thanks to leatherlord for beta reading!

Dan was sat nervously tapping his foot, messing with the hem of one of his many Rush shirts in the passenger seat of Brian's car. Today was the day. The day after his and Brian’s first date with Suzy.

You’d think that would mean yesterday was the day, but no. Yesterday was the easy part.

Yesterday was the exciting date at Suzy’s favourite Japanese Restaurant where Brian had calculated the perfect table to sit at like he always does. Close enough to the kitchen so the food arrived the quickest it could, but not so close it was noisy as fuck hearing them prepare the food, while somehow still being as private as possible so no fans can easily recognise them. It was a real talent Brian had honed.

Yesterday was the exciting date where Dan made Suzy smile and laugh so much she claimed it was one of the best ab workouts she’s ever had. Where Suzy asked questions to show her interest in the science topic Brian was attempting to explain to them, even though neither Dan or Suzy could really wrap their heads around whatever Brian was talking about. Where Brian got Dan blushing and embarrassed every time he’d lean over and kiss Dan’s cheek, but Dan never told him to stop.

Yesterday was perfect. From the moment Suzy met them at the restaurant, to the drive home, to the night they spent together.

But now. Well, now it was the day. The day Dan and Brian took Suzy home and they’d see Arin. Brian drove, chatting with Suzy who sat in the back, and Dan nervously humming along to a song he barely registered was playing. And Dan was kind of scared.

Of course, Arin had been cool with last night. Suzy said her and Arin had talked it out before she’d even told Dan and Brian she was interested in them. And Brian had talked to Arin about it, even took Rachel along and her and Arin talked for a while, seeing as they were in a similar position. And Dan had… sort of talked to Arin about it. Tried to. Dan had brought it up right after they’d wrapped up for the day, but Arin had kind of brushed him off. He gave Dan his blessing, had Dan promise to treat Suzy like a queen, then he left pretty quickly.

And that’s what was stuck in Dan’s mind now. He had tried to push it out, he really did. Even managed to keep it from the front of his mind throughout their whole date last night. But today there were no more distractions.

Why didn’t Arin want to talk to him about this? And Dan knew it was _only_ him Arin didn’t want to talk to. And Dan didn’t understand why.

Did Arin not trust him to treat Suzy right? It would be a fair thing for Arin to think though. Dan had done his fair share of sleeping around before he and Brian got together after all. And he hadn’t always been good at calling the girls back afterwards. No wonder Arin wouldn’t want him near Suzy.

But maybe that wasn’t it. Maybe it was as simple as Arin didn’t think Dan was good enough for Suzy. Also fair. Even Dan didn’t think he was good enough for her, he wasn’t even really good enough for Brian. At least that’s what Dan himself thought. He could sing and make jokes. What real good was that if NSP or Grumps suddenly fell through tomorrow? Brian would be fine, settle into some physics job. Suzy too, running her store and she had her skills in taxidermy. And Arin was starting to get a real foothold in voice acting and even had a whole second company. All of them had pretty solid fall backs. Everyone but Dan.

Either way, a lack of trust in how Dan would treat Suzy, or a lack of faith in his ability to care for her in the long run, it hurt that Arin must have a reason to not want Dan dating Suzy. Especially when Arin wouldn’t even tell Dan outright and just seemed to avoid him when the topic came up instead.

“Danny?!” Dan was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts by Brian lightly shaking his shoulder. Dan quickly took in his surroundings. They were parked outside the Berhow-Hanson residence, and the back seat was empty. Suzy must have gone in already.

“Danny, you okay?” Brin asked, causing Dan’s attention to fall back on his boyfriend, “I had to say your name four times before you snapped out of whatever you were thinking about.”

Dan chuckled a little, “Yeah, yeah, it’s nothing. Just, uh, real tired I guess.”

Brian looked unconvinced, but nodded, “Okay, let’s head inside already then.”

“What? Oh, no, um, you head in. I’ll just wait here.”

Now Brian was definitely suspicious. Dan internally cursed himself. Why the hell was he so bad at lying?

“Danny. You don’t need to tell me what’s wrong right now if you don’t feel up to it. But we came here to drop Suzy off properly after our date last night. You are going inside so we can be polite, and say goodbye properly.”

Dan managed to hold back a sigh, and followed Brian into the house. Dan had never been good at going against what Brian said when he used _that_ tone of voice.

Once they got inside Mimi started to wind her way around Dan’s legs, and after so many years Dan knew exactly what it meant. He knelt down and gave Mimi some affectionate butt pats, which also helped to distract Dan a little bit.

Until he looked up and saw Arin. Crap.

“Hi Arin,” Brian said, as he started to head through to sit on the sofa.

Dan tried to shoot a smile at Arin too. “Hey Ar. You, uh, you doing good?” Dan wanted to facepalm as soon as the words left his mouth. He was very obviously being super awkward.

“Yeah, I mean, great. Um.” Arin paused, being just as awkward. Dan was starting to wonder if this was worse than he thought, before Arin spoke again, “So yeah. I’m gonna go help Suzy make drinks and snacks.”

And with that Arin left, pretty quickly. Dan sighed, giving Mimi one last pat. “Looks pretty bad, huh Mimi?”

He then went to join Brian, who had his own munchkin cat to pet now, with Mochi claiming a spot in Brian’s lap. Dan sat next to him, joining in petting the eldest of their friends’ cats.

For a moment they sat there. Just petting Mochi, vaguely hearing Arin and Suzy shuffling around the kitchen, talking about something quietly enough Brian and Dan couldn’t tell what the conversation was actually about. It was nice.

Until Brian spoke up.

“So you going to tell me what the fuck was going on with you and Arin back there?”

Dan would really prefer not to. “What? That? Nah, was nothing. Just.... a bit early, y’know?”

“Bullshit. Wanna try that again?” Brian replied, not buying Dan’s excuse for a second. He was starting to look mildly annoyed that his boyfriend was now lying on top of hiding something from him.

Dan took a breath. Then released it and took another, a poor attempt to avoid speaking, if only for a few extra seconds.

“I. I, um, I think Ar kind of hates me a bit?”

Brian’s features immediately softened, as he took one of Dan’s hands “Now, why the hell would Arin suddenly hate you? Did he say something to you?”

“No. Kind of the opposite.” Dan said, briefly explaining what happened, and his worries about what it meant.

Brian pulled Dan towards him for a half hug, since Mochi was not shifting, making the maneuver to go for a proper hug a bit tricky.

“I know it won’t make everything feel better right away, but I think you’re overthinking and jumping to worst case scenarios. Try to focus on the Arin you know. Kind, supportive, very in love with his wife. You only talked to him right before the love of his life went on a date with two of his best friends, and then the morning right after that date. I don’t think he hates you Dan. I think he’s probably just nervous about the whole situation and you had unlucky timing to talk with him at the peak of those feelings.” Brian walked through a more logical explanation, trying to help Dan become less distressed about everything.

Dan gave a small smile. “You really think so?”

“Absolutely. But, and I know you’ll think it’s scary, but the best thing to do is talk to him when he comes back through. Explain how you feel, and ask if he can be real with you.”

Dan groaned, “I both love and hate when you have the smartest ideas.”

Brian grinned, pecking Dan on the cheek. “I know.”

It wasn’t long after that Suzy came in with a cup of tea for Brian, and a cup of hot water for Dan. Arin followed behind with a coffee he handed to Suzy, and a tray with a couple of bowls of snacks he put on the table. Arin then sat down on the couch next to Dan, keeping a little bit of distance, while Suzy remained standing near Brian, joining in petting Mochi, and looked towards Arin.

“So, me and Arin were talking a little, and we thought it would be best we all talk. Together.” Suzy said.

Dan immediately started to panic inside. And Arin looked how he felt. This would be fun.

Suzy gave a small cough when no one else spoke, “Arin. Would you like to say something to start us off?”

“Oh, I guess, yeah.” Arin said, but he didn’t meet anyone’s eye. “So… I’m glad you guys had a good time last night.”

Brian nodded, “Thank you, it was a lovely evening. But I get the feeling you're trying to change the subject. If it helps, Danny has something to say too.”

Dan looked at Brian, glaring. Well, glaring the best he could when he was freaking out internally.

“Yes, I… do. I, wanted to say… mmmmm.” Dan started to mumble towards the end, at a point no one could tell what he’d said.

“Daniel, go on. Ask about yesterday.” Brian encouraged him.

Dan knew Brian was just trying to get him to feel better in the long run by fixing a problem quickly. But it still wasn’t easy to actually say anything.

Suzy leaned over Brian, placing a hand on Dan’s shoulder, “Babe? Is everything okay?”

Now Dan was flustered too. But it did make him feel a bit better. Okay, deep breath. He could do this.

“Arin? You remember at the end of yesterday’s Grump session?”

“Um, yeah?” Arin said, then his eyes widened. “Oh! Yeah…”

“Yeah. I, why didn’t you want to talk to me? Do you… do you kind of hate me because of the date?”

“What?! No no, that’s not it, really” Arin said quickly, he even leaned over to pull Dan into a hug, “Trust me Dan, it would take way more than this to make me stop liking you, never mind hate you. I promise.” Arin pulled away, looking nervous once again. “No I guess it’s just… like, I kind of just don’t get it, you know? When you asked me about things yesterday I was too in my own head trying to figure stuff out. Like, I looked up everything I could, like, about polyamory, and triads and metamours and shit. And I talked to Rachel a bunch. And you know, it kind of helped me feel better, but I still don’t exactly understand.”

“Okay, so maybe we can help explain?” Suzy asked, sitting back on the arm of the couch next to Brian, while Dan was finally a bit more relaxed, starting to feel a little bit better already.

Arin nodded “Yeah, okay. Just kind of, the how, you know? Like, how do you know that when you like someone it means you like them too, or does it mean you love the person you’re with less or something?”

Suzy and Brian both looked ready to interject, but Arin started up again. “And I’m not worried that’s happening or something! I know you still love me Suze, and Brian with Rachel. I just don’t get _how you know_ , you know?”

Brian and Suzy continued to look at Arin, now with a look of confusion. Then all three shifted to look surprised as Dan was the one to speak up, “You’re thinking about love wrong.”

“I am?” Arin asked, wondering exactly where Dan was going with this, as were the other two in the room.

“Yeah. You’re thinking like love is just like, you get a set amount. But you don’t, not really. I think you just feel what you feel, you know? So, for me, I knew when I loved Brian, and I know that when I realised I started falling for Suze nothing changed with how I felt for Brian. I just got a little more love. The love I have for him didn’t split in half or anything, it’s all Brian’s. I just have some for Suzy too, and it’s all her’s,” Dan said. He then started to blush, looking down, as he realised he’d somehow managed to say he loved Suzy in a really weird way for the first time, and it had been in front of everyone at once. “So, um, yeah. I hope that made sense.”

When Dan finally managed to glance up he locked eyes with Arin, finding, for the first time that day, a real smile. Small, but definitely genuine.

“Yeah. Yeah it did. Thanks, man.” Arin said, before turning to look at Brian “Sorry if that sounded dumb for me to ask, I… I needed to make sure I was sure.”

Brian nodded, and Suzy came over to kiss Arin, “I’m glad you got everything cleared up, I knew there was still something bugging you when I left last night.”

“Heh, yeah. I didn’t wanna keep you from your date night though.” Arin’s expression suddenly shifted back to nervous as Suzy pulled away again, standing nearby again “So… so, maybe next time, maybe we could all go? On the date?”

Brian raised an eyebrow, but was smirking slightly “What, like a double date?”

“No no, not like a double date or whatever you’d call it when there’s a triad and also one of their husbands. I, uh… kind of meant more like an… an everyone date?”

Dan looked at everyone’s face, it felt like he was taking forever to read them but in reality it only took seconds to take in everything.

Arin looked as worried and nervous as Dan had felt the whole drive here, scared, a bit vulnerable. But with a little hint of hope in his eyes.

Suzy stood looking at Arin, smiling slightly, with a look of pride for her husband in her eyes.

Brian was hard to read for most, but Dan had had years of practice. He was also looking at Arin, but still petting Mochi. His smirk had grown, only slightly. To anyone else they’d read it simply as a happy look, but Dan was seeing that little bit of smugness in those blue eyes, like Brian had just been proved right about a theory he had.

Then there was Dan himself. His gaze falling on Arin again, to find his best friend looking right back at him, eyes just begging for Dan to say something to break the near silence of the room, where the only sounds to be heard were Mochi purring away and the ticking of that grandfather clock Suzy loved so much in the nearby hallway.

Honestly, Dan was still trying to decipher exactly what Arin had meant. An everyone date. Everyone. On one date. Then it hit him.

“Oh!”

Dan took another beat, then smiled, and reached to hold Arin’s hand, even if it was as gross and sweaty as Dan had thought it would be.

“I think that would be perfect.”


End file.
